Bags or Belts

Deregulation of the much suffering U.S. auto industry has all along been
a cherished goal of the Reagan Administration, which has vigorously
attacked governmental bureaucrats and their safety standards as being
major contributors to Detroit's maladies. But the Administration's
ongoing effort to end what automen as well regard as officious federal
meddling received a serious setback last week. That occurred when a
federal appeals court in Washington ordered the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration to reinstate a regulation requiring
automakers to install air bags or automatic, self-buckling seat belts
in their 1984-model cars.